Many approaches have been proposed to retrieving information and displaying it to a computer user. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,006 (Medl, et al., Mar. 27, 2001), which relates to the use of hyperlinks that enable recall of help functions. “Elements of a user interface for an application program are predefined as help functions by the programmer or developer . . . . Upon selection of a highlighted hyperlinked element, a help window appears providing definitions, functional instructions, etc.” Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,571 (Egger, et al., May 15, 2001), which relates to computerized research tools for locating legal opinions, patents and related documents, and how relationships among such documents may be detected and displayed. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,221 (Crawford, et al., Jul. 15, 1997), which discloses a “reverse electronic dictionary;” the user enters one or more search words which are thought to exist in the definition of the word that is sought. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,365 (Cannon, et al., Mar. 28, 2000), which relates to indexing and retrieving images, sounds, and text, used in greeting cards, invitations, announcement cards, and the like; a user inputs key words describing graphic and sound files to be retrieved.
However, the above-mentioned examples address substantially different problems, and thus are significantly different from the present invention.
In the past, thesaurus functions have been added to word processor applications. One example is Microsoft's WORD, in which a user may look up words in a thesaurus. A user may find the thesaurus function through menus at the top of the screen, or a user may find the thesaurus function by pointing to a word in the text, clicking the right mouse button, and then selecting a “synonyms” option.
Another example is Corel's WORDPERFECT; again, a user may find the thesaurus function in a menu at the top of the screen. Corel's WORDPERFECT also contains a feature called “Prompt-As-You-Go.” Depending on the position of the insertion point on the screen, a suggested correction may be displayed in a small box at the top of the screen; or a correctly spelled word in the text may be echoed in the small box at the top of the screen, and a user may activate a drop-down list of synonyms at the top of the screen. However, this list does not allow further access to words beyond those in the list.
The above-mentioned thesaurus examples involve a significant diversion of a user's attention away from the main application. The activation trigger is at the top of the screen. The process for looking up words in the thesaurus is different from the thesaurus-activation process in the word processor; this causes an unnecessary distraction for the user. The above-mentioned thesaurus examples lack visual cues in the active part of the screen, to invite a user to take advantage of the thesaurus function.
Thus there is a need for systems and methods that allow a user to thoroughly search a database for items to utilize in a main application, while minimizing the diversion of a user's attention away from the main application. There is also a need for an effective visual cue, to show a user of a main application that useful items may be available in a database.